Dace James Hines

Wednesday night, a few bands with seemingly little in common rolled through Oakland’s Starline Social Club as part of Noise Pop’s 25th anniversary festival. I’m not sure how to describe this lineup except like when you walk into the kitchen super hungry at 1am (probably for the 3rd time) and all you can find is Ritz Read More

As the Noise Pop fest came to a close in SF last weekend, Houston-based gulf coast soul band The Suffers made a theater full of new fans on Saturday night. They’ve played SF 3 times over the past year, with the size of the venue increasingly mirroring the band’s growing popularity. This time, it was Read More

Those lucky enough to score tickets to Vince Staples’ sold out Noise Pop show Friday were treated to a performance that lived up to the hype. By the time Staples took the stage around 10:15pm the air in Social Hall SF was almost unbearably hot and the mood of the crowd was electric. I could Read More

Sorry not sorry about that headline… too goddamn easy. Last Thursday night, breakthrough hip-hop & soul star Anderson .Paak fired up a crowded house at 1015 Folsom with his funky backing band The Free Nationals. The free show was the official release party for his excellent sophomore album Malibu, released just a week earlier. Word is there were over 5000 Read More

While San Francisco always finds a good reason to party, most people don’t think of Tuesday night as the prime time to do it. The Suffers, a 10-piece feel-good ensemble from Houston, TX, might have just changed that with their blistering set at Slim’s on Tuesday. They’re pioneering a sound they call “Gulf Coast Soul”, Read More

Last Monday and Tuesday, one of San Francisco’s oldest and most storied nightclubs, Bimbo’s 365 Club in North Beach, hosted a rare pair of sold-out shows for Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist José González. This is his first solo tour since 2008, to support his new record Vestiges and Claws. I’ve been wanting to seen him Read More

Last Thursday’s Viet Cong show came and went at the old familiar Rickshaw Stop. For those who’ve never been to this venue, it’s a great, divey open space that allows for an intimate musical environment… and no, not intimate like that time you played musical chairs with your friends and Jenny sat on your lap Read More

(photo from www.imposemagazine.com) Red-hot Calgary post-punk band Viet Cong are on a tear right now, earning accolades left and right (including the holy grail of a Pitchfork BNM) for their unpredictable and explosive self-titled record, just released in January. You can catch them at Rickshaw Stop this Thursday- tickets are sold out, but I’ve found myself getting Read More

Last week, we locked ourselves in a familial cage and stuffed our faces with turkey until our eyes popped out and we swore to never, ever go back for fifths again for the rest of our lives. (Didn’t we learn this last year? And the year before?) A couple days earlier, Copenhagen-based multi-instrumentalist and bootstrapping badass Read More

On Tuesday, the historic Bimbo’s 365 Club in North Beach hosted a dynamic double-shot of live music, with Scottish bands The Twilight Sad and We Were Promised Jetpacks filling the dark room with their distinct brands of affecting indie rock. First up was The Twilight Sad. You know that paralyzing feeling you struggle with when Read More